


In Her Dreams

by waiting4william



Category: Ten Inch Hero
Genre: Angst, But mostly angst, F/M, Fear of Rejection, Hints of Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 16:42:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6477928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waiting4william/pseuds/waiting4william
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tish has a dream that leaves her unnerved...</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Her Dreams

In Her Dreams…

 

Tish woke with a gasp. But it wasn’t the kind elicited from fear… it was from pleasure. Her lady parts were still throbbing with an ever-so-slowly ebbing enthusiasm. One that had roused her from sleep in a most delicious way. Now she lay in bed, alone in the dark, trying to catch her breath as her hand went to her heart. When she felt the rhythm return to a somewhat normal rate, she sighed.

_Why did it have to be him?_

She recalled every scorching detail of the dream that had only moments before brought her to the brink of pleasure and then recklessly cast her over into its welcoming arms. The thought made her shiver.

_She was never going to be able to look at him the same again._

Sure, there had always been something that made her think twice about Priestly and give him the curious side-eye, but she could never zero in on it.

Maybe it was the way he bickered with her? Or the decent debates she would get into with him. He could certainly match her wit and then some. Then again, it could have been the subtle appreciation expressed when she wore something especially eye-catching. She’d be lying if she said she’d never attempted an outfit just to witness his reaction. Or maybe it was _something else_ …

_But **this** was too much. _

The images of the two of them, suspended in flagrante delicto, were burned deep into memory and she’d be hard pressed to ignore the powerful orgasm that just ravaged her. _In her sleep!_ A slow tingle began to return low in her belly as she replayed the fantasy over again. Her hand slid down from her heart, over her t-shirt clad breast and across the plain of her stomach, shifting the material up slightly as she inched lower. And lower still.

_NO! She had to chase him from her mind._

Looking over at her alarm clock, she groaned to see it was only three in the morning. A full five, maybe six hours before she would have even contemplated getting up for work. Today she didn’t have to be in until ten but after the dream she just had, she wasn’t sure she should go in at all. There was no telling how she was going to handle their close proximity behind the counter later. One false move or accidental touch from him and she’d be a hot mess.

If only she could fall back asleep; a nice, safe, sex-free slumber to chase away the heat of the moment. That would probably put her in the right frame of mind for dealing with her work day… now the trick was how to accomplish that.

_Was it too early for a cold shower?_

*         *        *                  

Walking into the Grill that day, Tish strived to look more confident than she felt; something she wasn’t accustomed to being conscious of.

Somehow she had managed to sleep again in spite of her eye-opening dream, but when her alarm went off signaling the real need to get her day started, the insecurities began to set in. Ones she wasn’t used to and didn’t like at all. Even a cold shower couldn’t wash them away.

She’d dressed with extra care, going to almost conservative levels of skin coverage, threw her hair in a sloppy pony tail and wore no makeup - at all. Which upon hindsight when walking through the door, she realized was probably a bad idea as the ribbing started almost immediately.

“Who are you and what are you doing behind this counter?” demanded Priestly as he gave her baggy jeans and oversized t-shirt the once over.

Tish rolled her eyes, hoping the affect would silence further mockery as she looked for her apron. She managed to ignore the opportunity to respond. She didn’t know what to say to him, let alone how to speak to him after the sexual exchange they’d shared only hours before, in her subconscious state, of course.

Obviously she knew the difference between reality and fantasy, but why did the two have to mix like this? Oil and water… It made looking at him, his pouty lips, his bright green eyes (and hair), his mildly offensive yet still annoyingly comical t-shirt that much more difficult. She couldn’t help but wonder if his lips were as pliant and demanding as they had been in her reverie. Would they follow the same paths over her body if they were to start making out right now?

“Someone’s hungover…” came the next sarcastic account in her direction. Tish dared a glance, her best ‘give me a break’ look planted on her face, but it was quick to dissolve when she found her vision drawn to his chiseled jawline with its neatly manicured and angular five o’clock shadow.

_C’mon!! Get a grip!!_

Why did it take a dream to make her see past the physical sleights and tricks of the eye when it came to the tattoos and piercings that covered him from practically head to toe? Was she really that superficial? She didn’t think so. She paid attention to lots of details about stuff… _just not about him_.

And while she liked to have a good time in and out of the bedroom, that didn’t mean that she didn’t have an equally level though-filled head on her shoulders. She could tell the difference between the jerks and the nice guys. It just so happened that she hadn’t met a nice guy in a long time. And jerks seemed to be plenty in abundance.

She looked at Priestly again, his interest in her silence long since gone as he’d turned back around, facing away from her. She studied him unobserved as he slung a rag over his shoulder and began working the grill, prepping for the day ahead of them.

_Would his shoulders feel as solid as they had been beneath her fingers hours before? Would she ever have the opportunity to find out?_

It seemed like even lesser of a possibility than ever, though Jen had often enough told her that Priestly had shown the occasional covert curiosity, if only in the most basic physical level. She couldn’t help that her body looked the way it did, or that she opted to wear anything and everything that made her feel good. It’s not like she did it for anyone else other than herself. But that was beside the point.

Right now the only thing that was important was how she was supposed to reconcile the present morning with her explicitly x-rated night. She was certain she was blushing. Without warning, her turned again and caught her staring.

“What is wrong with you today? Are you sick or something? This…” he gestured to her appearance, “is not right… something is going on here.” He then proceeded to back away, grabbing the collar if his shirt and bringing it up to cover his mouth and nose before turning away from her. “If you’re sick, go home, we don’t need your special kind of mood virus contaminating the vibes around here. Any more than usual, that is.”

For whatever reason, his comment struck a sensitive nerve. She _should_ have been able to pull herself together. _It was just a dream!_ There was no legitimate reason why she couldn’t get her shit straight, but instead of trying, she threw her hands up in defeat. She _was_ tired and honestly didn’t want to deal with the constant poking and prodding that was bound to ensue anyways. “ _Trucker!!_ ”  

“He’s not here, he ran to the grocery store.” Jen chimed in as she walked from the store room out back to the counter. “Wow, I thought Priestly was just, you know… being Priestly, when I heard all his noise, but you really do look like you should go back to bed.”

“I get it! I’m going!” Tish replied, a bit of her sass returning. She really should have planned this better. Realizing she hadn’t even clocked in, she jotted a quick note to leave for Trucker. As she went to pass by the grill Priestly turned unexpectedly and Tish crashed into his solid body. The impact stole her breath but it was his arms that protectively caught her to steady her that stole the rest of her fortitude.

When she met his eyes, he was studying her in that way that tells a person there is much more happening behind the scenes in his mind. His look was now concerned, almost caring.

“What’s going on in there?” his voice was low and she wasn’t even sure the question was directed at her. “You’re not sick… there’s more to this…” Though his bright green eyes were locked with her brown, he sought his answer from the silence that fell like a rock between them.

Tish was unnerved, and feeling even more vulnerable as all her mind wanted to concentrate on was the heat of his hands on her bare arms and the strength she felt in his steady hold. She wanted to close the gap of their bodies and sink into him, forcing his arms to envelope her. But she didn’t. Instead she took the only other path she knew to protect herself. And out came her inner bitch. Stiffening her posture and shaking herself free she backed away, pressing the note in Jen’s hands.

“Wouldn’t you like to know…” She bit out, rubbing the skin on her arms where his hands had been, both reveling in and wiping away all traces of the sensation.

His eyes turned to shards of crystal green. “Ha, _in your dreams_ , maybe… But the truth, hard and cold is that I couldn’t care less.” A cruel smile broke out on his perfect lips as he noted the change in her expression. “Save your daggers, sweetheart. I don’t have time for your _bitch_ itude.”

His words stung, but it was all the motivation she needed to push past him. He didn’t try and stop her and Jen just steered clear. Smart move on her part as Tish wasn’t about to stop or turn back around.

As she heard the bells jangle above the door when she exited, Tish finally let out the shaky breath she’d been holding. She walked around the corner away from the exposure of the windows where she wouldn’t have to worry about being seen.

She was confused and she hated that. And worse still, she knew it was mostly her fault. Her behavior sparked a chain reaction with Priestly that should have never happened.

It was evident that she would have to make peace with him somehow, like the next time she saw him - a.k.a. - tomorrow. But for now, she just needed the day to clear her mind and the memory of his soft kiss, his spicy scent, his strong body.

Tish sighed. That damn dream had been more trouble than it was worth…

If anything it forced her to realize all the things she couldn’t bring herself to admit that attracted her to him while conscious, a thought that rankled even more because now she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him. And that could become a problem…

Of course the reality of anything happening between them was practically zero. She had a better chance of going on a date with Jen. So there was no use spending precious energy on a lost cause. They had already established their roles in each other’s circle. And it was not in any way a rom-com. If anything were going to happen, it would only ever happen in her dreams…


End file.
